


even though my heart needs to take its time

by sysupportgroup



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Feelings Realisation, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Oblivious!Soonyoung, Pining!Wonwoo, soonyoung attracts weird dates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 01:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12853551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sysupportgroup/pseuds/sysupportgroup
Summary: for kwon soonyoung, the benefits of your best friend owning a bar are threefoldone, you can bully him into giving you free drinks.two, you can use it as a rendezvous for your never ending stream of first dates.three, said best friend can bail you out from said dates as needed.there are literally no downsides to this, he’s decided, absolutely none at all.





	even though my heart needs to take its time

“Wow,” Soonyoung plasters on a tense smile, the kind he gives elderly couples in his Friday 10pms when they complain a little too much about their lawns and Karen from Tuesday bingo rather than focusing on one-two cha cha cha, “that’s... Cool. Did not see that coming. At all.”

“Oh yeah,” his date Woo-something-or-other strokes his sparse goatee thoughtfully. Wrong move. His arm movement makes his Axe body spray waft right into Soonyoung’s face, knocking him flat like a mechanised tank, “for some reason, I wasn’t getting any matches when I mentioned my marriage in my profile so I deleted it.”

“That’s tough,” Soonyoung dregs up a sympathetic grimace as he tries to lean away subtly, clamping onto the underside of the bar stool to keep his butt anchored. He really hopes that Wonwoo cares enough about his patrons to keep the stools gum-free. Oh wait no, Soonyoung barely suppresses a flinch as his fingers brush past a sizeable plastic-y feeling lump, obviously he doesn’t. Should’ve known better than to trust the guy who could make a full bowl of popcorn from all the kernels that have rolled into his sofa cracks, “the dating scene can be so cruel to people who were married to rich spouses and then widowed in suspicious circumstances. So weird.”

He raps twice on the bar, like he’s casually calling for the bartender’s attention. Of course that’s not actually what he’s doing. If he wanted a drink he’d probably vault over the top and pour something himself despite all of Wonwoo’s bluster about kicking him out when he does that. It’s surprisingly easy to distract him though.

“Hey Mingyu!” He hollers across the bar, startling his seat partner with his volume. He attracts more than a few glares from the patrons scattered around the room, disrupting the reading-haven-mojo atmosphere Wonwoo has going on with _Check In_ , “Where’s Wonwoo?”

“Out back,” Mingyu doesn’t spare him a glance, hands busy as he handles the small gaggle of people surrounding him, a good ways down from where Soonyoung is sitting, “You good?”

“Uh,” Soonyoung squints, swallowing down irrational irritation at Wonwoo’s absence. They’re not tied at the hip, he reminds himself sternly, you’re non co-dependent fully functioning adults no matter what Jihoon says, “yeah, I’m fine.”

He swivels himself back around to his date, albeit reluctantly and deliberately counter-clockwise to forestall the inevitable, “Sorry about that. My friend owns this place.”

“The guy who greeted us? With the dead fish eyes?”

“He’s tired.” Soonyoung bites out before tempering his tone apologetically. The Axe must’ve really put him on edge, “I mean, he stays up late at night going through stock for his bookshelves,” he gestures to the walls around them, studded with small shelves that support individual books with lush covers and sentimental titles. It was Soonyoung’s idea for Wonwoo to integrate his love of reading into the decor and in his opinion, it’s turned out great despite being complete nerd bait, “he replaces them every couple of weeks.”

Woo-something snorts, looking around at the place with narrowed eyes, “Weird guy. You two seem close though.”

“He’s a nerd.” Soonyoung shrugs, hoping he comes off as indifferent despite his compulsive urge to rise to Wonwoo’s defence. The last thing he wants is another date accusing him of being in love with him and storming off without picking up the cheque, cursing out palm readers as they go for some reason. Injustice, Soonyoung wants to cry, he and Wonwoo are completely platonic. No romantic undertones at all. (At least none that he’s noticed but _come on_ , he thinks he’d know if his best friend was interested in him.) “And we’re just childhood friends, not much else.”

“Well okay,” Woo-something caresses his goatee again - the one that was very pointedly was _not_ in his profile picture. Then again, Soonyoung thinks absently, the goatee is probably the most forgivable thing that this guy chose to leave out. He’s got more worries about the age thing unless this guy has elaborately made himself up to look older and uglier or time traveled into the past specifically for tonight’s date. If it’s the latter, let it be known that Soonyoung is honoured. A little creeped out still, considering the ‘suspicious circumstances’ surrounding the second wife’s death, but honoured all the same, “guess I don’t have to consider him a target then.” Make that officially creeped out.

“Soonyoung-ssi,” he says softly, leaning into Soonyoung’s personal space and resting a hand on his knee, “I had a good feeling about you. My fortune teller told me tonight would be different.” What is _with_ all these bogus fortune tellers? Seoul has a problem.

Soonyoung laughs pitchily, tone rising with his hysteria as Woo-something fingerwalks his hand somewhat sinisterly up his thigh, “That’s so kind wow really nice of you but,” he brushes at the intrusive hand jerkily like it’s a spider, “I’m not really.” He winces, “Interested. Tonight. Or like. Ever. Not super into being someone’s one of one girl right now, if you know what I mean.”

He clears his throat and knocks on the bar top again. Mingyu is still occupied and apparently deaf and God, where is Wonwoo when he needs him. Temporary absence has never been an obstacle with them before. Somehow or other, Wonwoo always happens to be there when he needs him the most. Some sort of best friend magic - the kind of platonic true love way stronger than any fairytale romantic bull.

There’s no other explanation for how Wonwoo just knew he was going to have a nervous breakdown in the third floor west wing bathrooms, right before their graduation ceremony, and had brought 4-ply tissue paper, his sister’s concealer and a curated playlist of their greatest friendship hits to stave his tears. Or how he had predicted the exact instance when Soonyoung’s last ex would apologise for cheating on him with a half-melted choco-pie and a small grimace, Soonyoung staring numbly at the matching anniversary mugs on the table that he had gotten them. For the record, he hadn’t _needed_ Wonwoo to storm into the cafe and punch Sangjin but well, it had been pretty vindicating. (Also because Sangjin was way buffer than Wonwoo’s overcooked ramen arms and had retaliated by driving his fist into Wonwoo's face before storming out. He always was an overdramatic one.) Dressing Wonwoo’s wounds and babying him with packs of frozen dumplings had taken his mind off the nasty breakup though, as had his best friend’s idea to smash the anniversary mugs into tiny ceramic chips on the roof. As Soonyoung now knows, you never know true liberation until you’ve crushed a cup fragment of your ex’s smiling face into fine white dust under your heel. 

Except well. Soonyoung casts one final look around the Wonwoo-less bar and grits his teeth. Trust tonight to be the exception.

“You’re not a girl though.” Woo-something tells him, confused but earnest, before his expression dips into something a little more lecherous and he squeezes Soonyoung’s thigh suggestively, “But I’d love to confirm.” Well congratulations to him, he’s set a record for the worst date Soonyoung’s ever been on and the first person who’s made him want to shimmy out of his skin just to get away. Something else is winning out over pure disgust though, a feeling with intensity enough to burn a red hot hole in his gut like that time Jisoo took them to an authentic Mexican place in his neighbourhood.

“Did you not,” he takes a deep breath and gets ready to call a Code P.A.G, “get the reference?”

Woo-something’s face is tellingly blank.

“Okay,” Soonyoung mutters tightly under his breath, “that’s a no. Listen,” he removes his date’s hand off his thigh gingerly, “one, that was a Shinee reference _1 of 1_ won on four music shows and was also a USA Billboard Top Two seriously give it a listen, buy the album. Two, I’m _really_ sorry but I’m not interested in you. Have a nice night.”

He tries to get up and actually find Wonwoo since his friend is apparently not feeling the telepathic communication vibes tonight but fingers curl around his sleeve, deceitfully tough despite their bony appearance. Not like Wonwoo bony though, more zombie-skeleton like than anything.

“Wait, I don’t understand,” Woo-something furrows his brows and oh God, why is the Axe smell stronger than ever oh his armpits are exposed now that’s why, “I thought we were getting on well. You sympathised. And laughed. You were supposed to be different.”

“Yeah well,” Soonyoung tugs at his sleeve in a definitely very chill and not frantic way that shows he is definitely not freaking out, “maybe get a refund on that fortune. Just a thought.” Also you didn’t recognise the darling boy group of our nation, he thinks grimly, that was the real nail in the coffin, potential murderer thing aside.

“At least give me your number,” the man wheedles, hooking his ankles around Soonyoung’s leg so he can’t step away. They are also deceitfully tough. He will never judge appendages by their appearances ever again he's been wrong about so many things tonight, “I’ve been so lonely since my wife - ”

“Second wife.”

“ - passed away - “

“Died in suspicious circumstances.”

“ - and I think you would fill her shoes perfectly.” He looks down and blinks slowly, “Literally maybe. She had big feet.”

“I - “ Soonyoung eyes the door. Mingyu’s not even behind the bar anymore and since Wonwoo isn’t present either, their bartop-knock bail system serves exactly zero purpose. The fatal weakness to that, Soonyoung ponders, is the underlying assumption that Wonwoo’s going to there all the time. And in this case, he’s not. So much for ‘stronger than true love’.

“Hey babe.”

Soonyoung nearly shrieks as a set of arms wind their way around his waist and pull him backwards, flush against a warm chest and more importantly, away from the thick cloud of Axe. Lips graze the shell of his ear, “Jeon the Saviour to the rescue again.”

Deep voice, check. Nickname, check. Smugness, check.

“This is a Code P.A.G.” Soonyoung hisses quietly to him, irritation and relief disguised under cordial surprise, “Critical status. Where were you?”

“Jihoonie swung by and we were talking in the back.” Wonwoo whispers, his thumb dipping under the hem of Soonyoung’s shirt as he speaks, sending Soonyoung’s thoughts plunging off a high bridge. "Really? A Code P.A.G? Did you _have_ to name it after Shinee's colours? Wait what am I saying of course you did. Just play along, okay?”

“Oi what are you doing?” Woo-something rises from his seat and wow, Soonyoung really doesn’t remember him being that tall when he walked in, “We’re in the middle of something here. Back off.”

“So are Soonie and I.” Wonwoo bites back, tipping his chin up at his 180cm opponent, “We’ve been ‘in the middle of something’ for twenty years. Wanna beat that?”

“You said you were just friends.” Woo-something half-rises out of his seat, eyes fixated on Soonyoung. He swears the goatee is bristling.

“Yep. Childhood friends.” For twenty years, he hadn't mentioned, ever since they started World War Three in a communal sandbox when they were five and made each other sandpies as mutual peace offerings. Soonyoung’s had obviously been prettier and Wonwoo had been blind even then. Wonwoo pokes him in the back to jolt him to his senses, “But! It’s uh, complicated. Let’s just say he’s the reason I can’t um - ”

“Commit.” Wonwoo hooks his bony chin over Soonyoung’s shoulder, little puffs of breath reassuring in their constancy against his overheated neck. “Come to your senses. Be in a relationship.” 

“Yeah all of that.” For some reason, it feels hotter in the bar all of a sudden, like the heating just got cranked up to the max. His heart’s jackhammering away in his chest like someone trying to drill cement.

Wonwoo snorts and Soonyoung makes it a point to tread on his foot with his All Stars.

 His best friend holds him tighter in response, prodding at his ticklish sides with stupidly bony fingers as Soonyoung squirms in his grasp. He doesn’t have to turn to see that Wonwoo’s got a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Oh please, just admit he’s your boyfriend.” Woo-something spits incredulously, fists clenched at his sides, “I can’t believe you were going to sleep with me regardless. At least I waited until my wife was out of the country. Or dead.”

Soonyoung’s jaw hangs open unattractively. What dastardly deed must he have done in the past to warrant being lectured by the human equivalent of the word moist? “I was _not_ going to sleep with you! Also he’s not my boyfriend!”

“Yet.” Wonwoo intervenes swiftly, pinching him sharply on the hip, “I was going to ask him tonight.” It rings genuine in his ears, enough to make Soonyoung wonder if Wonwoo’s been attending acting classes on the side.

“Oh.” Soonyoung casts a nervous glance up at his date, whose Axe smell has gotten even more disgusting, leering down at him. Not wanting his family to find his body in the Han River next week, he does the only sensible thing he can in this situation and agrees. “Really?” Wonwoo shoots him a meaningful look and he pastes on an adequately swoon-y expression, “I mean! Of course I’ll be your boyfriend!”

“Took you long enough.” Wonwoo smirks and gives Soonyoung’s date a little sarcastic wave over his shoulder as Woo-something quietly explodes into a bunch of expletives featuring fraud fortune tellers and promiscuous dates, “Bye now. Leave before you piss off my customers.” He hooks his bony chin over Soonyoung’s shoulder, warm puffs of breath against his neck sending frissons up his spine.

“I should’ve known from the way he looked at us when we walked in,” Woo-something narrows his eyes at Soonyoung and buttons his coat up roughly, “hope you two are happy, Soonyoung-ssi.” And with that, he strides out and Soonyoung can finally remember what non-high school locker room air smells like.

Soonyoung heaves a grateful sigh of relief and makes to turn around in order to squeeze Wonwoo into a tight thank you hug but the other boy acts first. Suddenly, the hands on Soonyoung’s hips are gone. A fleeting grip on his shoulders, turning him around, is all it takes for him to be facing Wonwoo head on.

“What - ” he starts but doesn’t get to finish because Wonwoo leans in and suddenly a pair of thin chapped lips are on his.

He blinks, maybe twice, and then it’s over. If not for the red staining his friend’s ears, he’d have mistaken it for a brief fever dream.

“Had to sell it,” Wonwoo says as he vaults over his counter and lands firmly on the other side, immediately getting to work on cleaning the bartop with a wet rag, “he was looking at us through the window.”

Soonyoung rips his fingers away from where they were brushing over his bottom lip, stuffing his traitorous hand into his pocket as he reclaims his seat. He nearly stumbles over it in his haste. “Thanks Wonwoo, I owe you.”

“Yeah you always do.” Wonwoo scoffs, flinging the rag over his shoulder and folding his arms, “Samgyupsal for Sunday night.”

“Fine.” Soonyoung gives in easily, mind wandering as it tries to find that comfortable headspace he has when trading playful barbs with Wonwoo. It evades him on this night, just out of reach. It’s not the only weird thing. The world around him is curiously off-kilter, like someone just adjusted the lens too much and the picture’s slightly blurry. Was it the kiss? But why would it be? It was chaste at its lewdest, just lips pressed to another set of lips. No saliva or tongue involved at all. He’s pretty sure Minghao and Mingyu’s verbal exchanges alone have more sexual energy than that.

And yet he still feels like he’s been mildly set alight.

It’s not the skinship or touching itself that sets off an itch under his skin. Anyone who knows him knows that he likes to cuddle and nuzzle his way into other people’s personal spaces. Less people know that Wonwoo likes doing the same to him. He doesn’t complain about it though, clingy Wonwoo is annoying but cute in a baby koala kind of way. Physical affection just comes easy between the two of them just like at Biweekly Movie Night two days ago when Wonwoo had buckled Soonyoung into his lap for the entirety of Tangled. Well, at least until _I Got a Dream_ came on and Wonwoo had practically ejected Soonyoung from his comfortable post before Flynn could start singing about money and a sunny island. Too much bouncing, had been Wonwoo’s pained excuse, snagging a blanket to wrap around his waist before speeding towards the bathroom. Maybe it was his bladder or something, though it’s weird that their friends had snickered about that. Unless a UTI was involved. They’d definitely laugh at that. At least Seungkwan would. Minghao definitely would. Maybe Chan too.

Wow, they need to get new friends, Soonyoung’s brows knit together, or has the return date for that expired at this point in their lives? Maybe the beers he had earlier are starting to kick in.

“Earth to Soon?” His vision goes dark. Soonyoung scowls from under the damp rag and whips it off his head to chuck in the general direction of Wonwoo’s voice. Wonwoo laughs, nose crinkling deeply as he stretches out to catch it onehandedly, shirt rising to expose a sliver of pale stomach because alright fine, Soonyoung had been really off with that throw, “Stop overthinking things dumbass.”

“Bring me alcohol then,” Soonyoung tries for imperious and ends up pleading, slumping down on the newly cleaned surface, “let me drown out my tragic love life in pretty cocktails.” From this angle, he can only see the glare reflecting off Wonwoo’s circular frames and the barest indication of two parallel red indents on the bridge of his nose that Soonyoung wants to, illogically, kiss away. Woah, weird thought alert. He worries his bottom lip. Probably nothing that alcohol and a good sleep can’t solve.

“What will it be?” Wonwoo drawls and Soonyoung doesn’t have to see his eyes to know that he’s rolling them, “You’re going to owe me double for this. Being a bartender and your personal handler isn’t easy.”

“Bring me a date that’s not weird, emotionally crippled and likes Shinee,” Soonyoung gripes pathetically. This feels like a brand new level of desperation for him, “I’ll even settle for them just recognising their title songs.”

“Don’t set your standards that low,” Wonwoo says distastefully as he slices up some fruit on a cutting board, sliding it into a tall glass filled with ice on the side before he nabs a few bottles off the expansive back shelf, “you deserve someone who knows all their b-sides as well as Taemin’s entire discography.” He purses his lips, glasses slipping further down his face as he balances the jigger and a bottle of vodka, “Look, could you just consider that maybe serial dates aren’t the answer?” He pours the concoction over the fruit and grabs his muddler, pounding the pear and lychees methodically.

He puts the glass in front of him and digs around for a straw behind the counter. Soonyoung eyes it greedily and pulls it towards him impulsively, gulping down half without really tasting it, “I just don’t have time to meet people normally,” he laments between large sips, “and I don’t want to be alone at 25, okay? It’s lame. I hate showing up to plus one events with our friends with everyone being gross and couple-y around us.” Thank God Wonwoo’s never found anyone he’d like to bring either. They always end up with each other by the end of the night.

Wonwoo finally rescues a black straw from a tin further down the bar and jabs it into Soonyoung’s glass. “I’m just saying,” he says in an unidentifiable tone and with that inscrutable face, “that if you cast your net that far out, you could be missing something right under your nose.”

Soonyoung squints at him, tucking the straw into the corner of his mouth and sipping, obnoxiously long and loud. The off-kilter feeling is back, his world tipped thirty five degrees wrongways. He’s reaching for something beyond his fingertips, trying to catch intangible butterflies with a clumsy wood frame net, scrabbling to hold onto fluid sand with splayed fingers and trembling palms.

“Oh Wonu,” he hums and gently nudges Wonwoo’s glasses up his nose with his index finger. Up close, his eyes shine bright behind the frames like the stars outside city borders or diamonds through bulletproof glass. Soft and hazy. Wonwoo lips are parted, like he’s expecting something. Probably a concession that he’s right but that’s an admission Soonyoung would never make. He boops Wonwoo’s nose instead and watches as Wonwoo’s lips turn downwards at the corners. He's kissed those lips. He giggles so hard that he nearly topples off the barstool. Man, maybe drinking so fast wasn’t a good idea after all, “it’s so funny that you think I’d listen to you.”

**Author's Note:**

> concrit, comments and general screamin about soonwoo are appreciated!!
> 
> please talk to me on twitter @sysupportgroup!! or hit up my curiouscat at /askthepea!!


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